5 Things I will miss about France

25Apr09

As my time winds down here I have been thinking of what I have appreciated about living here:

1. Driving – I don’t know why I assumed that French drivers would always be screaming at me while running running someone over. It is quite the opposite: they drive more like senior citizens. I mean that as a the greatest compliment one could give. Never have I experienced road rage. Rarely do people honk their horn. This is quite a contrast to driving in an American city. Granted, this is rural, but even driving in Paris, one shrugs to wonder why people say Paris drivers are the worst.

2, Small cars – When I use someone’s car it usually is a tiny hatchback. Now in the US, this can be scary. But not once have I been afraid of some oncoming giant Hummer clipping along towards me because everyone else is driving the same sized car. I also feel like a responsible human being because my car isn’t going to take up all the fuel in the world. Yay for me.

3, Lack of visible police – Yes, this is a positive as well. Aside from the occasional speed cameras, Gendarme random stops, one rarely sees what one would call a patrol car. If there is a siren, it is an ambulance or a fire vehicle. It is very rare to see a roaming squad car. And strangely enough, I have never felt like I have been in danger like the paranoia one feels being in the US.

4, Landscaping – There are very few places here that look like someone woke up and decided to randomly plant a tree somewhere. If fact, every where one looks, the landscaping seems to be a work of art.

5, The weather – I like having four seasons, but brutal extremes is a little exaggerated. A little nip in the winter, sleeping with windows open in the summer. The great thing about where I have lived is it doesn’t snow much – The only time it snowed this year was a dusting. Sure, if you are sentimental for snow then you would be disappointed. But I grew up in Minne-snow-ta where it snowed three feet and stayed until March. Thanks, but no.

So there you have it. I am sure there will be more things that come up, but this is just what I thought of in these moments. Stay tuned to my list of things that drive me crazy about France. ;)